It should be an entertaining semifinal day at the WTA Rome Open with four excellent players set to take to the courts at the Foro Italico. All four will believe they have what it takes to win the title after impressing so far in Rome, but only two can reach Sunday’s final. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions, but who will advance?
WTA Rome Semifinal Predictions
Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka
Head-to-head: Swiatek 2-1 Sabalenka
This should be some match. Iga Swiatek has had an excellent 2022 and beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-2 earlier this season in Stuttgart. But the Belarusian has looked impressive so far in Rome. She opened her campaign at the Foro Italico with a 6-2 6-0 win over Zhang Shuai and she backed that up by hammering Madrid finalist Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-4. Sabalenka then booked her place in the semifinals with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over Amanda Anisimova.
Swiatek has also been in excellent form however. She dismissed Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3 6-0 in the round of 32, before beating 16th seed Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Swiatek then secured her place in the semifinals with a 7-6 6-0 win over Bianca Andreescu. She looks in good position to get the better of Sabalenka as well. The Belarusian can hit through anyone given time on the ball, but Swiatek excels at making her opponents uncomfortable.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
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Ons Jabeur vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: Jabeur 3-2 Kasatkina
Ons Jabeur has been in superb form of late. The Tunisian has a game built for the clay thanks to her combination of power and soft touch. She enjoyed the finest moment of her career in Madrid, where she won the biggest title of her career, and she has backed that up so far at the WTA Rome Open. Unlike Sabalenka and Swiatek, she did not enjoy a first-round bye, but has accounted for Sorana Cirstea, Ajla Tomljanovic, Yulia Putintseva and Maria Sakkari, dropping just one set in the process.
But Daria Kasatkina has also impressed so far in Rome. The unseeded Russian has beaten former- French Open semifinalist Tamara Zidansek, US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, second seed Paula Badosa, and Jil Teichmann (albeit via retirement) to reach the last four. She also has experience of reaching a WTA 1000 final. Still, it is hard to see her beating Jabeur with the Tunisian in this sort of form. Jabeur may not be unstoppable, but that does not mean Kasatkina is good enough to stop her.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
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